In a move seen to bolster his 2028 presidential run, California Governor Gavin Newsom named Rohit Chopra, the former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to lead a new oversight agency; a Pine Bluff, Arkansas, bank employee was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for bank theft; a Fairfax, Virginia, security administrator has been charged with allegedly stealing more than $6.6 million from his employer; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

Fund managers are seeking to change the way banks think about Community Reinvestment Act investing.

Given new government rules on payment processing, giants like Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo would benefit immensely from acquiring proprietary debit card networks. Why they haven't done so already is a mystery.

Unlike several other large banks, neither Citi nor Citizens Financial Group is interested in expanding their retail branch presence beyond their existing footprints. Both say they see plenty of growth opportunities in those markets.

Every business needs a competitive advantage. But for banks their core product, money, is by definition commoditized. So where do banks find an advantage?

The neobank put its multi-use card in the hands of even more consumers in the first quarter, reaching 5 million users. That has resulted in increased membership fees and average revenue per consumer compared with non-card-wielding customers.

House lawmakers modified a ban on big-money investors from purchasing single-family homes, broadening the exemptions for build-to-rent properties and eliminating requirements in a Senate version of the bill that affected investors divest their holdings.

Lawmakers are moving toward a compromise that would ban yield payments on stablecoins, but allow other rewards. The distinction is functionally meaningless, and leaves small banks in danger of losing deposits.

The 22nd State Bank in Mobile has been developing its national Always.bank subsidiary over the past year. 22nd State, which was founded in 1917, is eyeing a summertime launch for the online unit.

The trio of community bank regulatory relief bills passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday night would ease exam intensity and frequency for smaller firms; it would also expand Treasury mentorships between community banks and larger lenders.

Stephen Curley, who was the chief banking officer at Phoenix-based Western Alliance, will join Maryland-based Eagle Bancorp as president and CEO in July. Eagle's current CEO previously announced plans to retire after the bank racked up big losses in office loans.

The 90-day-plus delinquency rate on student loans hit 10.3% in the first quarter, and New York Fed researchers warn that a second wave of defaults could be coming. Evidence is mixed regarding the likely impact on other consumer-lending segments.

The community bank trade group says crypto firms are combining stablecoin rules, Fed master account access and trust charters to replicate banking without bank rules.

Regulatory proposals are boosting interest for banks to grow in mortgage, but sustainability demands deliberate, rather than reactive, strategy, experts say.

Plans were moving along smoothly for a new data center in Franklin County, Missouri — until residents found out about it. Now the project is facing a fierce public backlash, and a local community bank is caught in the crossfire.

The Village Bank is already mulling expanding the concept to other locations if the one planned for its Wellesley, Mass., office lives up to expectations.

Banks' deposit costs fell as the Fed made borrowing cheaper. But signs of increased competition are already emerging, and analysts see a tougher road ahead.

Stephan Feldgoise and Joshua Schiffrin will join Goldman Sachs' management committee; Fidelity Investments is dismissing about 800 personnel as it restructures its technology and product-delivery teams; Citi has hired JPMorgan's André Ross as its country officer and banking head for South Africa; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

Almost 60 SBA loans originated by Community Bank & Trust — West Georgia were classified as noncurrent, according to Small Business Administration records. Last week, Community became the second U.S. bank to fail in 2026.

An April 20 bankruptcy filing accuses Kfir Gavrieli of recruiting friends, family and his synagogue to sign sham contracts that inflated Aspiration's revenue.